The Carver By The Lake
by TolkienAddict
Summary: Ever wondered the thoughts inside a Creator's mind? This is an attempt to get into one such mind.


The Carver by the Lake

Epë(b) i Nothril istas,  
_(Even) before the Weaver(Vairë) knew,  
_  
Io ennas, i Daerceredir (a) nef i ael !  
_There once was, The Carver by the Lake!  
_  
Sui Mudas, ara(b) forvo În  
_As He carved, by His side was  
_  
Angol În, cened sai pain!  
_His Wisdom, witnessing it all!!_

_"_Dîno(a) a lasto!_  
__Be Still and Hark!  
_  
Sui iChwest thuia thar lhorn!_  
__As The gentle wind breathes over still waters!  
_  
Tira i vîw rhinc, a rincir!.."_  
__See the little ripples, and they stir!.._

* * *

It was not beginning, yet it was time, the time for the beginning of His children. And He was by the Lake none beside Him except His most precious thought, His Wisdom. She alone watched Him as He carved and none besides her saw Him as He labored. While He carved, she brought Him more clay. 1 

"When they awake, they will be awestruck at the sight of stars."  
"Indeed."  
"Varda has done her task well. But will You not reveal Your Grace to them?"  
"All in time. They have a journey to make."  
"You will let them stumble, will you not?"  
"They have a choice to make. That is why I kindled them."2

She sighed and went on to weave about Eruhíni a shelter from the extremities of Arda. 3

Knowing His thought, He said, "You remember Melkor's hunt for you, don't you?"  
She once again sighed, "How can I forget! When he should have looked within himself, he searched in the void."  
"You know, he will search for Your children to quench their Flames."  
"Indeed."  
"Will you not guide them, when they seek it?"  
"You are there."  
"I can not help them once they are corrupted, unless they turn to You."  
"I know." 4

Once again, He resumed His work. As He looked at the sleeping forms of His children, He smiled and the Love that shone in His eyes surprised her.

"You know well that You never cease to amaze me."  
"I like surprises, and I never cease to surprise."

Wisdom laughed gaily at Her Sire's remark, and her laughter echoed throughout Eä; and the children smiled even while they were sleeping. She caressed their dark and fair heads as she moved about them.5

She once again looked at Her Sire.  
"You have more thoughts?"  
"You do favor some of them above others, don't You?"  
"I do and do not favor one above the other."  
"Then why do I get this feeling that You like Your second born better?"  
"They will have to toil harder against the one on whom I bestowed more favor than others."  
"You know he was the first to decline me. I will not be surprised if more of Your children follow."  
"You still love them, even if you call them fools."  
"What a paradox! You kindle them with me, but still make them reject me with that same flame."  
"I do not make them, but it is their choice." 6

She once again resumed her silence as she continued her work. While He gave the last touches to His work, He sighed. "They will all come to me. All in Time." Once again He turned His thoughts to His Wisdom. "You will guide them."  
"_As My Sire asks whatever of me, I shall do. You know well, I can not aid those without a pure heart. It has already been an agony to see Your children suffer in their own folly. Time and time again it will come, when they forget me. Still I shall keep my ever vigilance for those who seek me._"7

* * *

Interpretation

He and His thought Wisdom are one and the same, the one and only Eru. This is not a schizophrenic depiction of Eru's mind, but rather one of my ways of telling His thoughts in a poem/story/essay. His Wisdom is depicted as a she, just to show that Eru being the supreme, is complete.

1. The reference to clay indicates hroa of children are made from materials of Eä. This is a mythological world and here there is no scope for evolution. :D

2. When elves awoke by the Lake, they were mesmerized by Varda's stars. Glory of Varda's handiwork or all of the Eä together is nothing compared to Eru Himself. And Eru has a desire to reveal His Glory and shower His Grace to His children whom he kindled with flame imperishable. (I also interpret flame imperishable as the aspect of Eru which gives free will and life to the beings He created.) His Children did stumble in their voyage, both elder and younger ones. Eru chose not to intervene in Eä, so as to have His children exercise their free will.

3. I do not think Eru clothed the children while they slept. When they awoke they were like new born, but he had to protect them from the extremities of the world while they slept.

4. Melkor's hunt refers to his vain search for Flame imperishable which was set at the heart of the world. What is at the heart of the world? What is the hardest thing to understand? I think, it is one's own being and the supreme being. The heart of Tolkien's mythology is Eru creating His children, both First born and Second born. It is from there on, that his saga truly begins. So in a way one can think of life as heart of the world. In order to understand flame imperishable one has to truly understand oneself, and then only one can truly understand the supreme being. But in this effort, there is always that inner voice who offers the guidance.

5. The selfless love of a Father to His children is indescribable. His joy in seeing his children sleep echoes throughout all Eä.

6. Eru does not favor one above the other, but still it looks like He favors some. This is a paradox, just like the paradox that He gives life to His children, but let them give the choice to reject or accept Him. Melkor was given the most number of gifts when compared to other Valar, but he was also the first to deny His wisdom and fall into folly of pride and arrogance. When Melkor looked upon Eruhíni, he was clouded with jealousy. He saw them as his enemies and sought their annihilation, when he should have seen them as younger siblings and loved them. Both elves and men had to fight against Melkor for their survival. But it is the second born who has to live in Morgoth's ring till the end of time. In a way, for their suffering Eru seemed to have favored second born as they were given the gift of death to leave the circles of Eä to return to Him.

7. The last act of giving the commission to guide His children is to be looked as a promise to His children that He makes. And in time or rather say at ending of time, all His children will be singing to Him again. Though fate of the elves are unknown, I do not think they will be left out from His Grace.

* * *

___Notes: _

___(a)Words coined from Sindarin:_

___dîn -adj meaning listen, dîno used as an imperative_

___daerceredir – great maker as there are no quenya or sindarin equivalents for carver._

___(b)Quenya words with no equivalent words I could find in Sindarin. If you find them or coined them, please let me know. I am by no means a Tolkien language expert._

___If you have read upto this point, thank you and please share your thoughts. I would really appreciate if you could cite any mistakes in my Sindarin usage._


End file.
